


Opening Up

by CobaltBluu



Series: CobaltBluu's Sonic Movie fics [3]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Movie Sonic is still very much babey, i stan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltBluu/pseuds/CobaltBluu
Summary: Sonic accustoms himself to his new life on Earth, warming up to his family as well as the residents of the little town of Green Hills. Who knew making friends would be so much fun?Meanwhile, Tom and Maddie figure out a way to make Sonic open up about his past after he slips several hints and clues to the history behind the ‘hog.
Relationships: Sonic the Hedgehog & Crazy Carl, Sonic the Hedgehog & Maddie Wachowski, Sonic the Hedgehog & Tom Wachowski, Tom Wachowski & Wade Whipple, Tom Wachowski/Maddie Wachowski
Series: CobaltBluu's Sonic Movie fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696045
Comments: 8
Kudos: 166





	1. Taking Note

**Author's Note:**

> Figured I should just make a full story instead of quick one-shots so bam!! Here it is!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the positivity on my last two fics, ‘How to Bake (With a Blue Hedgehog)’ and ‘Blackbird!’ I love writing about this blue boy and I’m glad I get to share the love and affection for him with you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie takes notes of Sonic's behavior to try getting closer to him.

_Awkward and clammy when brought into sudden physical contact._

_Possible ADHD?_

_Likes but denies ear and head pats._

_Very much showing signs of human influence, but still retains some animalistic traits._

_13? 14? Acts much younger than he is._

_Uneasy about his past. Refuses to open up. Sometimes emits static when pressured or prompted._

_Hyperactive. Avoid coffee and other stimulants at all costs._

Maddie stroked her chin as she lowered her phone to watch Sonic tussle around on the floor with Ozzy. Mercilessly was he tackling the broad body of the dog, but the predator was soon made the prey once Ozzy knocked him off and returned his energy.

She was taking notes on her phone, focusing intently on the teenager and his actions.

Whether or not she knew the physiology of the teen wasn’t the problem. It was everything else.

When she and Tom first welcomed Sonic in, she didn’t know _anything_ about his mental processes or how he would function in a sustainable environment that isn’t a hole in the ground. Sure, he tended to lash out when he became too uncomfortable or too emotionally unbound, but she understood what caused the reaction. She and Tom discussed a bit of what he did reveal about himself (a mysterious ‘Longclaw’ character was a common topic of discussion with him but he never elaborated past name) and they tried to patch a makeshift story to the details of his past he let slip by.

He was comfortable (and almost prideful in), however, telling the Wachowskis that he boasted a decade’s worth of isolation on Earth. Maddie deducted that, considering his possible age of 13/14, he was a toddler when he somehow arrived on the planet through a bag of rings he received (the original owner of the rings was a touchy subject on his part). Tom added that he admitted to him at a hotel in Nevada that the mysterious ‘Longclaw’ had involvement in his childhood, saying things like ‘What if Longclaw was wrong?’ And if he could ‘have a life here.’

Context was out of the question. She wanted answers, but Sonic wasn’t quite ready to open up. Which is why she was studying him and the complexity behind those welcoming, emerald eyes.

If she understood him better, maybe he would feel more welcome under her and her husband’s roof, and he would be less defensive of his history. The vet wanted nothing more than to support her family, and since Sonic was now part of that family, she wanted to support him too. The new photos of the blue ‘hog that were mounted upon the walls and the shelves were solid proof on their own.

“Gyah! Ozzyyyy, stop it! Okay, okay, I yield!” Sonic’s voice pulled Maddie from her thoughts. He was cornered by the retriever, who was unrelentingly attacking his face with slobber. “Pretzel Lady, don’t just sit there, do something! Save me!”

Neither Tom nor Sonic ever explained to her the origins of the nicknames, which was quite bothersome. The ‘Blue Devil’ was a name long worn out, but ‘Donut Lord’ and ‘Pretzel Lady?’

Well, she’d definitely have to add that to the list of issues to tackle with him.

Maddie set her phone on the arm of the couch and bent down near her feet to heave Ozzy’s side off of Sonic. She took hold under Sonic’s arms and lifted him into her arms. He let out a long, exhausted sigh as he slumped into her touch with satisfaction, “Thanks.”

She rolled her eyes, it was nothing short of a little manual labor. Thank heavens he roughly weighed in at around a 9-year-old’s weight, and thank heavens she didn’t have more Ozzy weight to shove off the hedgehog.

Tom was at work, as usual. But, unlike their normal routine, they worked out a solution to accommodate Sonic into their day. It was obvious from the get-go that Sonic could _not_ be left in the house alone, Ozzy or not. Unlike Ozzy, he couldn’t be confined to a small dog cage with a bowl of dog food and a water dish and call it a day. He required special attention. His needs were more akin to a human’s, to no surprise.

They took turns going to work (unless their careers said otherwise). One day, Maddie would stay home with Sonic. The next, Tom would. Thankfully Green Hills wasn’t too demanding a town and their work hours were made flexible enough to support their new lifestyle.

Whenever they weren’t able to use their new routine, they had Sonic accompany one of them to work (his choice). It was the best they could manage for the time being.

“You _really_ need to explain this whole ‘Pretzel Lady’ thing to me.” Maddie hummed.

“No way! These lips are _sealed._ ” Sonic huffed, shifting restlessly in Maddie’s arms. He made a zipping motion with his hand, symbolizing him zipping his mouth closed.

“Come on. Not even if I promise not to tell anyone?”

”Nnnnnnope.”

“Guess I won’t be making chili dogs for dinner after all.”

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait!” He waved his hands around in a frenzy, now seeming to be a bit more panicked. At least _that_ got his attention. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Maddie flashed him a certain smug look that told him, ‘I definitely would.’ He furrowed his... well she wouldn’t call them eyebrows, more like... the muscles around his eyes that worked akin to eyebrows. She knew that he had a fondness towards that specific food item (he confidently explained to her all the details of his road trip with Tom with the exception of the nicknames) and he could be swayed through the tantalizing offer. It gave her an advantage over the 'hog. "Oh, I do dare." She challenged. 

He growled, "Well then, I guess I'll tell you... if... you can do... this!" 

He wriggled out of Maddie's grip and curled into a small, spiky ball on the floor. That little cheater. "Come on. You know I can't do that." she glared. 

"Well isn’t that underwhelming, especially for someone without bones!" Sonic defended, poking his eyes out from his protection.

Maddie raised a brow. "What are you talking about, Sonic? Of course I have bones."

"Nu-uh, I see you doing your little stretchy exercises out on the porch!" The hedgehog huffed, unfurling slightly. "There's no way you have bones if you can bend like that. No way, no how."

Then a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Is _that_ why you call me 'Pretzel Lady?' Because I do yoga and bend like a pretzel?"

Sonic froze. He fully unfurled, standing up to his full height and sharply inhaling, his chest puffing out in front of him. He appeared to be building up his confidence, but it looked like he was mentally just had his ego blown over.

"I- well, erm."

Maddie snickered at his reaction. She cracked the code.

"Y-you- you're- of COURSE that isn't the reason! Lay off!" he crossed his arms defensively, scrunching his face into a cross-breed between anger, annoyance and defensiveness. 

_Note to self: don't ask about his nicknaming process._

She chuckled, patting Sonic on the head as he made a soft 'hrmph.'

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” the vet mused, delicately running her thumb over what she assumed was his glabella.

“M’ not embarrassed.” Sonic muttered, traces of exasperation present in his otherwise enthusiastic, jolly voice. She couldn’t help but let a small smile poke at her lips to see this side of the kid. The side that just wasn’t having any of it. “If you say so.”

___

“When’s Donut Lord coming back?” Sonic asked as he carefully took his spines in hand and tied them back to mimic a ponytail (he copied Maddie to learn the technique).

“Be patient, he’ll be back soon.” Maddie chuckled, switching the television channel.

“How can I be?” Sonic stretched himself out and shook out the aches in his muscles. “We’re going out to get an actual treadmill today! Ooh, ooh, it’s gonna be so cool to run around in a confined space that _isn’t_ something I borrowed!”

 _Doesn’t like to keep his mouth shut,_ she noted. Adding that to the list of symptoms.

Now she was almost certain Sonic had ADHD. Isolation and inattention were huge red flags. As if the constant fidgeting, lack of attention span, and endless chattering weren’t enough to convince her. 

“Borrowed?” She queried, “Don’t you mean... stolen?”

“Noooo. Of course not!” She could sense a bit of a nervous chuckle from him as he continued to stretch. “I’m just keeping these items for a prolonged amount of time until eventually I grow weary of keeping them and manage to return them to the garbage bins and alleyways I found them in!” He plastered a sheepish grin on his face to further prove his point as he did some high knees.

“Uh... huh...” Maddie slowly nodded.

Garbage bins?

Alleyways?

Maybe she was underestimating just how deep and complex this hedgehog was. If he wasn’t being so opaque about himself, that is. He was so stubborn.

Sonic continued his workout as Maddie silently pulled out her phone and wrote down on her ongoing list of observations. She also texted Tom about definitely confronting him about this sooner or later. If he was going to live under their roof, he would have to stop holding onto his past and let them help him, she decided. Even if it meant breaking down his walls and facing that breathtaking power she only ever saw a few times.

She was always confronted at work by her co-workers about living in the same household as an ‘intergalactic space rodent’ (as Wade described it). Some, more curious than others. Of course, she tried to ignore the questions as much as she could, to respect Sonic’s personal boundaries, but they would just never let up.

One particular co-worker of hers, Becky Pingrim, was the most curious. She always asked about a range of different topics, like what color his hands and feet are, how his powers work, what his native language sounds like and why his proportions were so unnaturally disproportionate to the common Earth hedgehog. Maddie’s most common excuse is ‘he’s an alien, leave him be,’ but sometimes, Becky’s questions did leave her to wonder more and more about Sonic. What do the other aliens from his homeworld look like, and who exactly _was_ Longclaw?

It’s not like Sonic would ever answer, though, hence why she was trying to get closer to him so he could trust her with that information.

“Earth to Pretzel, Earth to Pretzel,” a gloved hand waved in front of her face to wheel her back into reality.

“Oh, Sonic! Did I space out?” Maddie blinked, “sorry.”

“Yeah. I was afraid that Medusa snuck into the house or something. You were just... sitting here, staring at your phone.”

She couldn’t help but notice Sonic’s little ponytail as he spoke.

_Why is an alien teenager cute?_

He was so animated and so lively. 10 years of isolation and nobody to talk to would’ve driven anyone crazy, but him... he was still kicking it, stronger than ever. Were they doing him a service by just talking to him?

Ozzy came strutting over and jumped up onto the couch next to Maddie, his tongue lolling out. “Ohhh no. No no no NO. Do NOT do that.” Sonic backed up, pointing a finger accusingly at the canine. “I’m not up for another slobbery battle against you, you big feral beast.”

The dog only stared him down, panting. Sonic squinted, suspiciously eyeing Ozzy in return. “I see how it is, you little spy.” He put his hands on his waist, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’re just waiting for me to drop my guard so you can make your move! Well, pop quiz, hot shot! There’s _no way_ I’m letting anyone from the likes of you jump me that easily.”

Maddie snickered, “Sonic, you don’t think you’re overreacting? Ozzy’s a dog. He’s not sentient like you and I.”

“Well, maybe he has a speck of brains in that skull of his!” The hedgehog huffed. “You don’t know that. He could be plotting some scheme right now! Behind our backs!”

“I think you’re spending too much time with Crazy Carl.”

Sonic gasped and clutched his chest, mortified, “How _DARE_ you!”

Just then, the sound of rattling keys and an unlocking door snapped Sonic into action. The moment the sheriff of Green Hills himself walked in the door, he was tackled into a hug.

“Well look who it is!” Maddie snickered, watching Tom lift Sonic up onto his shoulder.

“Yeeeup. Came back a little early tonight. Nothing too interesting today. Got a cat out of a tree, spent a few hours at the speed trap.. just an ordinary day in Green Hills, as always.” Tom hummed with a nonchalant shrug.

Sonic swung his legs around in midair, enjoying his newfound tallness and looking down on the humans as they chatted. Soon, he grew impatient and cleared his throat to get their attention. “I believe we have an assignment that’s waiting for us, Sheriff.” 

“Oh, and what would that be, spacehog?” 

“Code T.R.E.A.D.M.1.L.L., sir.” the hedgehog smirked. Tom caught on instantly. He leaned over and gave his wife a quick peck and lowered Sonic down from his shoulder (which he responded to with a whine). “10-4, Blue Devil. Guess we’ll be heading off on our mission, effective immediately. We’ll be back soon, Mads. Protect home base from the trash pandas of the woodlands, would you?” 

“You have my word, commander.” She saluted, playing along. Tom placed Sonic back down on the ground and hung his gear up. Sonic rolled on the balls of his feet anxiously awaiting him to finish as the sheriff gave Ozzy a pat on the head. They bid their farewells rather quickly, she noted. Tom lead Sonic back outside, shutting the door behind him. And at last, they were gone. 

Maddie frowned. That was fast. Maybe he wanted to escape the embarrassment that occurred while Tom was away as soon as possible? Judging from what she’d seen of him the past few weeks, most likely. 

She shook her head and walked to the kitchen, wondering what she was going to cook for dinner when the boys got home. 

Sooner or later, Sonic was going to open up to them. Maddie would make sure of it.


	2. Blasphemy, I Say!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Sonic return from their shopping expedition, but not with what Maddie was expecting.
> 
> Later, Maddie reads him a bedtime story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Online work has been sucking up most of my time, but thank the lord that summer is just a few days away.
> 
> Anywho, without further ado, hope y’all like this!

Despite the hype, the boys did not come back with a treadmill. Sonic’s attention was redirected to the comic books when heading down the aisle, so Maddie was a bit surprised to see them return with half a hedgehog hidden behind a massive tower of comics. Considering how expensive a treadmill would’ve been, she was almost glad for the alternative. Sonic could have broken the darn thing with his breathtaking speed, for ‘hog’s sake.

“Tom, really?” Maddie watched as Sonic clumsily wobbled his way back into the house, making the occasional misstep and taking three or four more to prevent himself tumbling onto the floor.

“What was I supposed to do?” The cop defended. “There’s no swaying him when he sets his eyes on something he wants. Besides, it’s better this way.”

“You were going to get him a treadmill. He’s going to read those in half an hour!”

“He rereads his comics without hesitation. Just relax, babe.”

Sonic, halfway down the hallway, tripped over the lace of his sneaker and fell right on top of the comics with a yelp. Both Tom and Maddie were impulsively snapped out of conversation and into action to see what happened. A few dozen comics were sprawled across the ground with a blue ball placed on top of them. The humans exchanged a glance that was almost out of amusement, but more of pity than anything.

“You... need help there, pal?” Tom asked, eyeing the throne of comics that now covered the floor.

“No no, I got this!” Sonic retorted, unfurling from his blue cavern. “Just... gimme a minute. It’s not easy when you can only use 10% of your peripheral vision to know where the heck you’re going.” He sloppily scrambled the comics back up into a decent pile and heaved to swoop them into his arms again.

Stubborn. Very, very stubborn. Adding that to the list, Maddie concluded.

Sonic got himself up and on his feet again. He took a few steps forward to where he assumed the stairs were, but ended up bumping into a wall and toppling over again with an ‘oomph.’ A thick blanket of comics now covered him from quills to shoes.

“Sonic.” Tom crossed his arms. “Do you even know where you’re going with all those books?”

“I’m using my intuition. Willpower!”

“Yeah, no. Just let us help you.”

“I can do this! I think.”

He was so opaque. It was almost like he was afraid of even asking for assistance. He doesn’t have anything to be afraid of, so what was the deal? Her list was going to be longer than Romeo and Juliet by the time she figured out whatever it was that held him back.

Sonic finally stacked up his comic pile back up and let out a triumphant “Hoorah!” as he struggled to lift them back up off the ground.

Tom clearly wasn’t having any of it, so he took it upon himself to (against the hedgehog’s backlash) take half of the comics into his own grip and hand them to him. The pile he gave allowed Sonic to actually see this time, while his own pile was more 3/4ths of what the teen was attempting to handle.

“There. Let’s go, spacehog.” He huffed, heading down the rest of the hall and up the stairs.

“Hmph. Showoff.” Sonic grumbled, jogging with his (thankfully) less egregious eyesore of a pile to catch up with him.

Maddie shook her head, a part of her amused at their banter. She knew Sonic was just upset that he didn’t get to show off again. Taking her phone out again and typing down on the growing list on her notepad, she mindlessly strolled to the kitchen and dumped equal portions of spaghetti on three plates. Her argument with Sonic earlier about revealing the history of his nicknames ended pretty fruitlessly, so for revenge, she didn’t prepare his favorite meal for dinner, as she forewarned.

The vet based Sonic’s culinary limitations on a real hedgehog’s, but with a dash of human, given how un-hedgehog he was on most levels. He could easily be handed most foods and drinks and be satisfied. Though, she had yet to give him milk or coffee (under no circumstances would she voluntarily hand him stimulants THAT potent). She figured that he would be incapable of digesting lactose, and she worried how his stomach would react.

Tom emerged from the stairwell and stretched out his limbs. He eyed the food with a trace of interest in his eyes.

“How’d it go?” Maddie asked with a hum, placing her forearm on the island. “The whole… moving thing.”

“Eh. Sonic was fussy, but he let it go pretty easily.”

She breathed a sharp inhale. “Tom, I’m worried about him.” she admitted calmly. “Do you think he’ll ever open up to us?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of a proper response, most likely. Maddie prayed Sonic didn’t walk down to hear them talking, fearing how he would react. He’s already done that before, thankfully on more familiar grounds.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll come to. He’s come clean to me before.”

“Oh, do I hope.”

There were creaks on the stairwell that silenced both of them. The kid in question had arrived. Maybe he didn’t hear any of that.

Sonic hopped down the last of the stairs and waddled his way into the kitchen. “What’s on the menu?” He mused, fumbling up his step stool and eyeing the source of the tantalizing smell that blessed his nose, he groaned.

“Aw man, pasta? I thought we were having chili dogs!” The hedgehog whined, disgruntled.

“We can’t just keep eating the same food every night. And besides, you know what we agreed on. You didn’t spill the nicknames, so the hog don’t get the ‘dogs.” Maddie said with a hearty laugh, drumming her fingers against the countertop.

“WHAT? How is that fair!? You cracked the code either way! I say blasphemy. Blasphemy, I say!”

Tom glanced between the two with confusion. Should he or should he not question the scene? Knowing how Sonic gets when he flares, it probably isn’t the best idea.

“Blasphemy? Yeah, if we’re in church.”

“Well aren’t you irreverent?”

Tom silently sat himself down at the table, never taking his eyes off of neither woman nor alien.

“You’re one to talk, young man.”

The sheriff took a small bite of his plate, quietly munching away.

“But— I— what— _STOP NOT MAKING SENSE_!”

By the time the two finished their petty arguing, Tom had already finished cleaning his plate, leaving both Maddie and Sonic flabbergasted at the time they cruelly wasted over a choice of a family meal.

__________ ________ ______ ____ __

“I still think we shoulda gone with chili dogs.” Sonic muttered as Maddie rubbed the last of the sauce off of his fur. The human in question rolled her eyes. “Come on. Pasta isn’t _that_ bad.”

Sonic hummed approval. “Well, I s’pose. But I still don’t like it as much.”

“And that’s something I can live with.”

Maddie squeezed out the water from the damp cloth and discarded it within a nearby hamper for washing on a later date. She then peered into the dim lights of the microwave. 7:39. “Alright kiddo. Go get ready for bedtime, would ya?”

She noticed his nose give a subtle flick, giving her muted signals. He would commonly make those silent motions (though she would never publicly admit how she found the actions quite cute), so it wasn’t like it was the first time. Or the seventh.

The young hedgehog’s eyebrows(?) dipped significantly on his face, an expression of irritation (or maybe anger?) painting his features. “I’m not a little kid. I don’t _need_ a ‘bedtime.’ Pssh, who needs bedtime anyways? I don’t. I haven’t had one in 10 years, and I’m still way past cool! Bedtimes are _LAAAAAAME._ ” Sonic defended, placing his hands on his waist defiantly.

 _Who’s the irreverent one now?_ Maddie held a subtle, knowing glint in her eyes. “What if I… told you… a bedtime story?”

“A— what?” Sonic blinked.

“A bedtime story.”

Sonic’s figure slumped. He nervously fumbled with his thumbs, processing the offer. His feet swayed from beneath him, kicking in the evening air.

“I’m still not a little kid. I don’t _need_ a bedtime story.”

“I never said you were.”

“Well you were headed that way! You can’t say I’m wrong.”

Maddie scooped Sonic up into her arms regardless, ignoring his protests. She walked with him in her arms the whole way up the stairs and planted him down on his feet in front of the scuttle hole. She grabbed the string and yanked it down, the extra layer of stairs dropping not long after. Turning to acknowledge Sonic, the vet noticed her husband watching from their bedroom.

“Okay, Mr. I’m-a-Big-Boy, go get ready for bed, then I’ll read you a bedtime story. Good? Good.” She patted his head and felt his eyes following her, observing her every motion as she left to the master bedroom.

“You’re reading him a _what?_ ” Tom sneered. “He’s a teenager, he doesn’t need that kind of pampering.”

“Babe, if you haven’t guessed, he hasn’t had much of a childhood.” She replied, pulling her pajamas from the drawers. “Just making up for lost time, y’know?”

“I guess…” the sheriff mused, not instigating the conversation any further. The kid did seem to have some prevalent issues regarding behavior and whatnot, he couldn’t argue with that logic.

It would be _trillions_ easier if Sonic opened up. But it’s never that easy, is it? He had the tendency to bottle himself up and release only when it became too much a burden for him to sustain. That was, rather often, but he didn’t seem close enough to them to open up whenever he wanted. Getting to the root of the problem was their first objective.

When Maddie fully changed into her pajamas, she scavenged around in an old chest and grinned when she saw the book she was looking for. Once she up the stairs, she wasn’t surprised to see Sonic already finished with his routine, planted on his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

She made a brief knock on the scuttle hole to subtly notify him of her approach, so when she fully entered he wouldn’t flinch. His head turned and told her that he acknowledged her. The teen silently shuffled to the right, into a sitting position on the head of the bed, and watched her sit down next to him. The mattress squeaked and squealed as the new weight was added.

Once she was fully on the bed, comfortable and all, she revealed her book from hiding and slid it onto her lap so Sonic could see.

“The Ugly Duckling?” He read with a raised brow.

“Yep. It’s a story my mom used to read to me as a little girl.”

“So it’s old.”

“Shut up, I’m not _that_ old.” Maddie snickered.

She flipped open the first page and a rush of nostalgia coursed through her veins. Who knew, all these years later, she would have the pleasure of reading her childhood stories to her own child, even if he wasn’t biological? As she flipped to the next page, the words of the pages began to spill from her mouth.

“In the snug retreat sat a duck on her eggs. She was beginning to get tired of her task, for she seldom had any visitors.”

Sonic observed the pages along with her, shuffling to snuggle in closer and rest his head on her chest. She wrapped an arm around him reflexively.

“The other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river. At length one shell cracked, and then another, and from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried, “Peep, peep.””

Her gaze dropped to the illustration donning the bottom of the page. An array of birds, surrounding a single grey duckling. Then she continued.

““Are you all out?” she asked, rising; “No, I declare, the largest egg lies there still” and she seated herself again on the nest. “I think I will sit on it a while longer,” said the duck; “as I have sat so long already, a few days will be nothing.””

She continued to read, each paragraph elegantly flowing like a river into a stream of words. Sonic’s interest never waned, he seemed decently curious of the story, even shifting expressions based on what was happening. She was praying it would catch his eye, considering how small an attention span he had.

The night went on, as she continued reading the story to the little hedgehog next to her. Sonic never spoke a word, absorbing the book’s contents as he skimmed to Maddie’s reading. He did, however, make an outraged (and drowsy) comment when the other birds began to attack the poor thing.

After reading for a long while, she reached the last page of the book. Her personal favorite.

“He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer, and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.” Maddie read, a smile creeping up the edges of her lips. “He cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, “I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling.” The end.”

She shut the lid of the book and set it aside to take a look at Sonic. But she was caught off guard at what she saw.

He was sleeping, his emerald irises locked away from the world. His arms were latched onto her shirt, his head buried in her side, softly breathing. There was a subtle rumble in his chest that created a cat-like purr, which made him all the more adorable in such a defenseless state. The small smile that had found its way to Maddie’s lips grew wider, the endearing sight before her warming her heart, and for good reason.

She cautiously set the book onto his nightstand and brought him into her lap to make both of them more comfortable. Sonic seemed unconsciously pleased with the touch, shifting to get closer and absorb the heat she gave off, murmuring inaudible whispers she couldn’t possibly make out if she tried. He also let out a quiet, but louder purr, contributing to Maddie’s growing urge to squeal, but she had to make do with the makeshift shelter she offered him in her arms. Too bad she didn’t take her phone with her to show Tom.

She wrapped her arms around Sonic in a close hug, placing her chin snugly atop his forehead. As she felt sleep overcome her as well, she couldn’t help but feel pure joy at the mere thought of realization.

He was their little swan. Their precious, delicate swan. One that emerged from grief and sorrow in his past to become the most beautiful swan of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been pretty Maddie-centric, I know, but trust me when I say there’ll be some Donut Dad action coming up! ;)
> 
> The Ugly Ducking is by Hans Christian Andersen, English translation by H.P. Paull


End file.
